We’ve all been there: you’re trying to plan a weekend away, and the sheer number of options — flights, hotels, restaurants, hidden gems — feels like a second job. Now, artificial intelligence is stepping in to take that weight off, and wherever you look in the travel world, from booking engines to social media feeds, AI is already whispering suggestions into your ear. It’s not just the big tech companies pushing it, either. Hotels, tour operators and even your favorite travel influencer are all weaving AI into the experience. But here’s the thing: while we’re perfectly happy to let a clever algorithm watch a price for us or translate a menu on the fly, there’s a very clear line when it comes to handing over the creative reins of our actual holiday plans. In fact, according to a new survey from Mews, a hospitality management platform that helps hoteliers run their operations, only 44% of travelers across the globe feel comfortable letting AI design their whole itinerary. That leaves a majority who still want a human touch when it comes to the fun, imaginative part of travel — the day-to-day adventure.
The survey, which polled 3,250 tourists in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US, reveals a fascinating picture of a world slowly warming to AI but not ready to hand over the keys. The most popular uses are surprisingly practical and low-stakes. For instance, 63% of travelers say they already use AI to keep an eye on hotel rates, letting it alert them when prices drop — a no-brainer for anyone who’s ever refreshed a booking page fifty times. Another 56% use it for on-the-spot translation, which is basically a superpower when you’re lost in a backstreet in Rome or need to ask for directions in a rural village. These are tasks where speed and accuracy matter, and AI does them brilliantly without demanding any emotional involvement. But when the question shifts to more nuanced decisions — like where to eat, which neighborhood to stay in, or what to do on a rainy afternoon — travelers are far more reluctant. There’s a sense that a human, with instincts and personal taste, might still make better choices. It’s as if we trust AI with the chores but not with the soul of the journey.
That hesitation extends to how much personal data we’re willing to let hotels and travel companies use to tailor experiences. The same survey found that travelers are surprisingly open to AI customizing their stays based on things they’ve explicitly told the hotel — for example, 61% are fine with AI using their stated preferences (like “I prefer a quiet room” or “I love a continental breakfast”), and 56% are happy for it to look at their past stay history to anticipate their needs. But when it comes to data collected silently from our online habits or social media activity, the comfort level drops sharply. Only 43% consent to AI using their online behavior data, and just 34% are okay with AI tapping into their social media activity. That’s a huge gap, and it makes perfect sense from a human perspective: we’re okay with AI that asks us directly, but we get uncomfortable when it spies on us. It feels a bit like a concierge who’s been reading your diary, even if they’re trying to help. This is a crucial insight for any hotel or travel brand: transparency and consent are everything. If you ask, we’re happy to help AI help us. If you snoop, you’ve lost our trust.
The survey also uncovered some intriguing national differences in how AI is received. Italian travelers came across as the most optimistic about AI’s role in the future of travel, with 51% saying they believe it will improve their experiences five years from now, compared to an average of 39% across all surveyed countries. On the other hand, Spain showed the most positive attitude overall toward AI right now, with 58% feeling good about its presence in the travel industry. This might reflect different cultural attitudes toward technology and hospitality. In Italy, there’s a deep love for personal service, but there’s also a pragmatic openness to anything that makes life easier. In Spain, the tech-savvy younger generation might be more eager to embrace AI as a fun way to discover new things. Either way, it’s a reminder that AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. What feels helpful in Madrid might feel intrusive in Berlin or London. The smartest travel companies will need to adapt their AI strategies to suit each market’s temperament, rather than rolling out a single global approach.
At the heart of all this, though, is a simple but profound point made by Josef Starýchfojtů, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Mews. He said: “Having clever technology is great, but firstly, we should know whether guests want a task done for them or want to be part of it. Get that wrong and even good AI feels intrusive. We’re building for human hospitality: technology handles the mundane, repetitive admin, and hotel teams have more time for their guests.” That quote hits the nail on the head. We don’t want AI to replace human hospitality; we want it to free up humans to be more human. Imagine a hotel where you never have to wait at the front desk to check in (AI does that), where your room temperature and lighting are set to your liking before you arrive (AI remembers), and where the concierge has already booked that cooking class you mentioned wanting to try — not because they stalked your social media, but because you told them you were interested. Then, instead of spending time on paperwork and logistics, the hotel staff can actually sit down with you, chat about your day, recommend a neighborhood restaurant you’ve never heard of, and make you feel genuinely welcomed. That’s the real promise of AI in travel.
So where does that leave us? For now, it seems the travel industry is at a crossroads. We have a technology that’s remarkably powerful but also remarkably easy to misuse. The key isn’t to use AI for everything, but to use it wisely, with a clear understanding of what travelers want and what they fear. The survey suggests that people are ready to welcome AI with open arms — if it respects their boundaries and enhances their human interactions rather than replacing them. As we look ahead to the next five years, the countries where AI is embraced most warmly will likely be those where the travel industry listens to these subtle signals. The companies that thrive will be the ones that use AI to make the mundane invisible, so that the extraordinary moments — a surprise upgrade, a thoughtful recommendation, a genuine smile from a staff member who actually has time to chat — shine all the brighter. Because in the end, travel isn’t about efficiency or clever algorithms; it’s about memory, connection and feeling alive. If AI can give us more of that, then we’ll happily let it plan a few of our hotel nights — but we’ll still keep the best parts of the journey for ourselves.
